The Sedona City Council voted unanimously this week to permanently end its controversial license plate camera program.
Council members worried about how data gathered in Sedona could potentially be accessed by federal law enforcement agencies.
Numerous Sedona council members say they felt misled when Flock Safety representatives told them in August that Sedona would have full control over who could access data.
But later that month, the company acknowledged US Customs and Border Protection had accessed locally collected vehicle information.
In a statement, a Flock Safety spokesperson said "at no time did Flock mislead Sedona government officials or the community."
"Unfortunately, the decision to terminate Flock's services in Sedona appears to be based on misinformation," the spokesperson wrote.
Sedona installed 11 Flock cameras over the summer, but police say the program had not begun to operate.
Councilmember Brian Fultz says the company was not transparent.
“Certainly, since the meeting that we had here, the Flock representative, as it would seem, was not as forthcoming, informed whatever it may be about what was really going on between the company, federal government,” Fultz says. “We should shut this thing down, cancel the contract, and get the cameras out.”
That sentiment was echoed by Vice Mayor Holli Ploog.
“A company that tells us on August 13 that ‘There’s no data sharing going on, I swear,’ and on August 19 admits that ‘it’s been going on,’ is not a company that we can do business with. And they're not, in my opinion, an honorable company,” Ploog says.
The council previously paused the program indefinitely.
Late last month Flock CEO Garrett Langley announced he was halting the pilot program with the federal government, and that they’re working to ensure localities can control whether to share data, and who with.
“We clearly communicated poorly. We also didn’t create distinct permissions and protocols in the Flock system to ensure local compliance for federal agency users,” Langley wrote in a statement. “I appreciate the sensitivities surrounding local and federal cooperation on law enforcement matters, and I understand that in order to allow communities to align with their laws and societal values, these definitions and product features are critical.”
But in a statement to KNAU, a spokesperson insisted localities have complete control of local data.
"At no point did Flock share data directly with any federal agencies, as Flock does not own or control access to customer data. Agencies are in complete control of who can access their system, what sharing permissions (if any) they grant, and under what conditions they share that data. Cities can choose the data sharing relationships that are in compliance with their local laws and policies, and align with their community's values," the spokesperson wrote.
The technology collects license plate numbers and vehicle information. Artificial intelligence compiles that into a vehicle profile and can add it to a national database.
Police say the cameras are an important tool when facing challenging crimes like hit-and-runs, and human and drug trafficking.
But the camera systems have proven controversial in several communities across northern Arizona.
This story was updated with comment from a Flock Safety spokesperson at 10:50 a.m. on Sept. 12.
